A lot can happen in a year. I have heard that saying often, but it is extremely true. I am a living example of it; I would say it was in the beginning of July of last year. Every little detail of my life was going to change, and I was not mentally prepared for it. Although, I know it is impossible to predict the future, I tried to the best that I could so I would be ready for what lies ahead. I had a discussion with my dad about only going to school part-time and working full-time in order to become a resident of Hawaii in order to be eligible for in-state tuition the following year, so I would not be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt by the time I graduated college.

So, here I was at 19, planning my life out for the next year and doing “adult things” that I never thought I would do until I was out of college. I rented my own apartment with my friend, I bought my first brand new car, and I landed an excellent job. It was crazy to me and even looking back on it all right now makes me wonder how I was able to do it all and not completely lose my mind at the same time. I think it was because I had someone special by my side.

When I arrived in Hawaii in the middle of August of 2015, my life became even better than I predicted it would be. This is going to sound corny, but it’s extremely true and accurate. This guy who I was in love with since I left the island after school in May said he was going to come over after I got to my new apartment from the airport. I was so nervous. I can still remember pacing back and forth, looking in the mirror every five minutes to make sure that my hair looked OK because that Hawaiian humidity can do some damage.

He finally got to my apartment at about 6:30 p.m. with dinner, and I walked down the stairs to the driveway to greet him and I immediately hugged him and started crying (in a good way, obviously). It felt so good to see him smile. I could feel how happy he was. He squeezed me so tight; I couldn’t help but be happy to be in his arms again. I kept a smile on my face all night; I honestly think my face started to hurt from smiling so much.

Every day after this night became better and better. I was so happy to have him by my side every day after work and to keep me sane. I was back with my best friend, and happier than ever. Imagine yourself living in “paradise” with your soul mate; it’s pretty cool I’m not going to lie to you. I also won’t lie and say it is all butterflies and rainbows, obviously it’s not. We have normal working lives, too.

All of my friends doubted me and my feelings for him, but I stuck by my gut and my heart and I knew that he was in my life for a reason. He makes me happy. As stressful as work, school and paying bills was, I knew I could always count on him to be there for me. Whether it was taking me on a date out in town, or laying down watching a movie, I was always ending my day with a smile on my face. I had no doubts with him. I never will.

In the end of September, a little over a month of being back on the island, my best friend took me to the restaurant that we went on our first date at. The food was beyond delicious, so if you haven’t been to Buca di Beppo, you need to go. Just don’t leave your credit card there like my man did on our first date. But, anyways, after our delicious meal, he decided to take me for a walk on the beach. All of the buildings of Waikiki were lit up in the background of where we were standing, the rain had just stopped and it was a perfect moment.

He had some Sugar Ray playing on his phone, actually “Under the Sun” to be exact. It could not have been more perfect. As the song was playing he took me down to where the water barely hit our feet that were dug into the cold sand. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was beautiful. I honestly could not have been happier. I cried like a typical girl (How could I not?) and jumped into his arms. It still feels like a fairytale to this day. I still am as happy as I was on that night, probably even happier today than I was then.

Since being engaged, we have learned a lot about each other, and I have also learned a lot about myself. I learned that the “perfect man” is out there, and I also learned that living life with your best friend is a crazy ride, but so fun at the same time. How many people in this world can say they found their soul mate in paradise? Not many. But I am lucky enough to say I have, and I wouldn’t want to live my crazy life with anyone else.

In a year, my life has changed for the better. I learned a lot about myself and simply how to “adult,” for the most part that is. I still make mistakes. I do not know how to be an adult sometimes, and my life is not as picture perfect as it seems in my writing. I still struggle with the difficulties of life on a daily basis, but I am also lucky enough to have someone by my side to struggle with. My fiancé is the best thing that happened to me in the last year, and I cannot wait to see how much my life changes for the better in the next year. Stay tuned my friends.